William Jewell College
Liberty, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 38.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 72/100 · Fair Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
William Jewell College earns a 72 ROI score in Fair Value tier. The cost story is favorable: tuition is $20,610, net price after aid is $17,562, and four-year total cost is $70,248 - well below typical small-private pricing. Median earnings ten years out reach $59,268 with an 8.7-year payback period (scoring 71/100). Median debt is $24,498, producing a 0.562 debt-to-earnings ratio. The strong sub-scores are completion (67.7%, scoring 74/100), repayment (84.5%, scoring 84/100), and earnings premium (0.345, scoring 75/100). This is a school that does the fundamentals right: aggressive sticker discounting, moderate selectivity, residential liberal-arts experience, nursing and business programs that pay back. The one-year repayment rate is 84.5%, indicating graduates stay employed and current on loans even at modest entry-level salaries.
William Jewell College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $20,610/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $20,610/yr |
| Average net price | $17,562/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $70,248 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $59,268 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $43,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,498 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $260 |
| Estimated payback period | 8.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 67.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 924 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $20,610/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $17,562/year, or roughly $70,248 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $12,909/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $23,901/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,498, which works out to about $260 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($43,600) and comes to 0.56, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $12,909 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $4,356 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,869 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $16,624 |
| $110,001+ | $23,901 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $12,909 - meaningfully discounted from the $17,562 average. But the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays just $4,356 - dramatically less, indicating a generous aid award structure at this specific income tier. This is a notable inverted pattern: families earning $30K-$48K pay less than families earning under $30K. Either pattern is workable for low-income students, but Pell-eligible families should run the net-price calculator carefully.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $12,869 - back up from the $30K-$48K outlier figure, suggesting that lowest bracket may be an artifact of a small sample or specific scholarship structure. The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $16,624. Middle-income families face genuinely competitive net pricing here.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $23,901 - above the $20,610 sticker tuition once room/board factors in.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at William Jewell College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $79,507 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $60,126 | C |
| Psychology | $55,773 | D |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $72,507 | C+ |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the largest program at 52 graduates with first-year earnings of $68,391 climbing to $79,507, against $27,000 in debt - a B grade and 0.395 ratio. Strong outcome for a small-college BSN program. Kansas City-area hospital placements (Saint Luke's, Research Medical, Children's Mercy) drive solid first-year earnings and consistent career growth. This is William Jewell's flagship ROI program.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business produced 39 graduates with first-year earnings of $44,064 climbing to $60,126, against $26,000 in debt - a C grade and 0.59 ratio. Solid utility outcome. The earnings trajectory is steady rather than spectacular.
Psychology
Psychology graduated 19 with first-year earnings of $31,232 against $23,969 in debt - a D grade and 0.767 ratio. The four-year earnings of $55,773 indicate strong growth, likely reflecting graduate-school continuation. Standalone bachelor's math is rough; a clear PhD, PsyD, or counseling-master's plan is essentially required for a positive long-term outcome.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts produced 9 graduates with first-year earnings of $50,663 climbing to $72,507 - surprisingly strong for a generalist degree - against $26,831 in debt for a C+ grade and 0.53 ratio. Likely reflects students with interdisciplinary majors or pre-professional concentrations leveraging William Jewell's strong placement network. Small graduate count limits how confident the numbers are.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 85.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 84.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 77.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 84.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How William Jewell College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 38.4% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 540-640 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 540-630 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 18-24 |
| Enrollment | 924 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 31.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,488 |
William Jewell admits 38.4% of applicants. SAT mid-ranges of 540-640 in math and 540-630 in reading, with ACT 18-24, indicate a solidly prepared student body with meaningful academic standards. The combination of 38% admit rate and 67.7% completion suggests effective selectivity filtering - students who get in are mostly capable of finishing, and the smaller-college environment supports persistence. Test-optional applicants expand the bottom of the academic range but published scores skew prepared.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Jewell College (this school) | 72 | $17,562 | $59,268 |
| Scripps College | 78 | $36,294 | $77,539 |
| Hampden-Sydney College | 74 | $22,400 | $67,640 |
| Whitman College | 72 | $33,313 | $67,589 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
With 924 students and a 31.6% Pell rate, William Jewell serves a primarily middle-class Missouri student body, many with Baptist denominational ties to the institution's history. The completion rate of 67.7% combined with 84.5% repayment indicates students who enroll mostly finish and mostly handle their loans well. The 39% Pell rate cap shows the school is positioned for middle-class affordability rather than aggressive low-income enrollment.
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
William Jewell College is a fair-value bet, but how well it pays off depends a lot on you. At $17,562 a year after aid ($70,248 over four years), with the typical graduate earning $59,268 a decade out, the cost takes about 8.7 years to earn back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
What it has going for it: a strong earnings premium over high school graduates, high loan repayment success.
Median debt of $24,498 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $43,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
William Jewell College: Common Questions
Is William Jewell College worth it?
In our view, it's a fair-value bet - whether William Jewell College is worth it depends a lot on your major and aid package. It scores 72/100 on our ROI scale. At $17,562 a year after aid ($70,248 over four years) against $59,268 in typical earnings a decade out, the cost takes about 8.7 years to earn back. For context, the median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
How much does William Jewell College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $17,562 a year, or roughly $70,248 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do William Jewell College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $59,268 ten years after enrolling, roughly $17,468 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off William Jewell College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 8.7 years for William Jewell College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do William Jewell College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,498, against average earnings of $43,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at William Jewell College?
The six-year graduation rate is 67.7%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.